Justin Micah Oberholtzer: 42 years for the fame of Jesus and the glory of God
- Lori Oberholtzer
- 40 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Justin was freed from the brokenness of this world and ran into the eager arms of his Savior on October 21, 2025 after a valiant, seven-year battle with ALS.
Justin treasured his wife of twelve years, Lori. He was the unspeakably proud father of Talia and Ben, the cherished son of Donovan and Carol Oberholtzer, dear brother of Jana MacKay, and friend to many.
A graduate of Warwick High School, Justin went on to attend James Madison University, where he earned his BA in Finance. Outside of the classroom, he quickly became known for his sharp wit and uncanny ability to make an entire room dissolve into helpless laughter as Cru’s emcee. Whether he was backflipping off a sand dune or break dancing in the middle of a crowd, he brought a contagious enthusiasm for life everywhere he went. Everyone wanted to be where Justin was. After college, he returned home to Lititz and built a successful career in real estate with Keller Williams, helping to open a new office, stepping in as Team Leader, and eventually forming his own team - the Justin Oberholtzer Group.
After college, Justin and Lori met (quite unplanned) through mutual friends at a diner. Conversation somehow led Lori to interview with Justin at the Keller Williams office to see if she had the chops to be a realtor. The job didn’t pan out, but something better did— Justin fell hard for Lori’s fun-loving and passionate personality and Lori fell for his witty charm. Married in 2013, they shared years of intentional conversations, big dreams, and a love for adventure… their most profound adventure was by far becoming parents to Talia and Benny!
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Eventually, Justin and Lori combined their talents and entrepreneurial spirits to create Plumb & Fig, a house flipping and interior design company. They came alive creating and dreaming together, and made a formidable pair as Lori’s creativity and affinity for design meshed with Justin’s decision making skills and real estate experience.
Justin’s unabashed love of adventure and spontaneity led him to travel and backpack across the globe. Whether it was bungee jumping in New Zealand, fly fishing in Wyoming, taking a cooking class with Lori in Morocco, working on a wildlife reserve in South Africa and visiting remote villages in Rwanda, or tracing the footsteps of Jesus in Israel, his answer to a last-minute trip to Italy or family adventure was always an enthusiastic yes! A true athlete, he thrived playing soccer, running, and bench pressing over 300 pounds. Justin was full of life, and he made everyone around him feel more alive. To Lori, Ben, and Talia, he wasn’t simply a husband and dad—he was a superhero.
Even when ALS made his roles as husband and father challenging, he never abdicated them. He looked for creative ways to make Lori and the kids feel loved and seen- like sending flowers with silly poems to Lori, or watching endless performances by Talia, and being a faithful presence at Ben’s soccer games - these are the moments he lived for. The kids often crawled into Justin’s lap to listen attentively as he spoke or cuddle through tears that only a daddy could fix—always paying special attention to the slower words their Dad had for them. Nobody quieted their banter or held their attention like Justin! As his body weakened, his focus sharpened: to love well and be present with those who mattered most.
After his gutting diagnosis in 2018, Justin and Lori made a conscious decision to surrender to the Lord even still and “walk uphill” with God. This looked like acknowledging the pain of this world (and diagnosis), while trying to remain oriented towards God in worship.
Justin would remark that before ALS, he had been “asleep to the greater story of God”. Justin’s suffering sharpened his focus and honed his love for God in a way that caused the people around him to turn their gaze to heaven with him and worship. He longed for his physical body to be healed on earth, just as he longed for the people around him to be awoken to the reality of the spiritual battle we live within.
As ALS began to claim pieces of their lives Justin and Lori both wrestled honestly with loss- they battled disappointment with each progression, heartache over missed moments with each other and their kids, and desert seasons of waiting. But his hope grew clearer. The things of this world lost their shine as he fixed his gaze on eternity.
Justin spent many precious moments alone reading and studying scripture; he was deeply passionate about discipleship and prayer, and felt new purpose in interceding for the church as his voice and body experienced new limitations.
In the midst of crushing loss, Justin held fast to the God who hates pain and brokenness so much that He himself died to undo it. He prayed desperately for healing, but joined generations of faithful saints who have raised their trembling hands to God across the span of history and declared, “but even if you don’t, I will still praise you.” And he did.
Justin’s life rouses a sleeping world to fix our eyes on a greater story. He reminds us that our truer, better home is in heaven, where every sad thing will one day come untrue. Justin’s legacy will be cherished and his story will be told by a cloud of witnesses.
“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!” ― C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
co-written by: Ashley Dickens and Lori Oberholtzer, after some interviews from some dear friends- thanks Dan, Lauren, Ben and Justin for your love for this man!
INFO: A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, November 1 at 10AM at Ephrata Community Church: 70 Clay School Road, Ephrata, PA 17522 (enter through the back North Entrance).
In lieu of flowers, friends and loved ones can consider donating to CCALS.org in Justin’s name, or, to Talia and Ben’s 529 college fund at ugift529.com using
code B1T-M6T for Talia and code K3V-G1P for Ben.
